Inexpensive chitobiose as a plant nutrient additive
A cost-effective process for producing enriched chitobiose, beneficial for plant growth and immune activation, offering significant potential for agricultural and horticultural applications.
Overview
This innovative solution introduces an affordable method for producing highly enriched chitobiose, a disaccharide derived from chitin. Traditionally, chitobiose has been prohibitively expensive, limiting its use in agriculture. However, our new one-step fermentative process reduces the cost by at least 100 times, making it viable for widespread application. Chitobiose enhances plant growth by activating natural immunity and stimulating beneficial endosymbionts, making it an ideal additive for plant nutrients and formulations with pesticides or fungicides.
Technical specifications
- Cost-effective production: One-step fermentative process significantly reduces production costs, making chitobiose affordable for agricultural use.
- Benefits: Enhances plant growth and activates plant immune systems. It can be used alone or in combination with pesticides and fungicides to boost their efficacy.
- Applications: Suitable for a variety of plants, with initial studies focusing on arabidopsis. Potential to expand to other crops in collaboration with industry partners.
- Properties: Contains antioxidant properties with no toxicity, ensuring safe application in agricultural settings.
Technology readiness level
Currently at TRL 4, this technology has been validated in laboratory settings and is ready for further exploration and development through partnerships with industry stakeholders. Future experiments will focus on large-scale production and testing as a plant nutrient additive.
About University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a comprehensive public research university with three campuses in the Toronto region and a globally scaled research enterprise. Its downtown footprint is embedded within a major academic health network and an adjacent innovation district, enabling co-located labs, clinical trials, and rapid testing with end users. Companies connect through co-op and long-duration internships, sponsored research, and access to shared core facilities and prototyping resources. Research is supported by Canada’s Tri‑Agency (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, alongside provincial programs and industry partnerships. A dedicated technology transfer office provides IP management, licensing, and startup support through a coordinated entrepreneurship network.
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